Next year’s budget for the City of Wichita will include new police and fire stations, improvements for parks and branch libraries, more funding for street maintenance, and a restoration of services that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a 2022 budget that totals more than $670 million.   The budget keeps the city’s property tax rate at 32.749 mills, for the 28th straight year that the mill levy has remained unchanged.

The budget and the city’s long-range capital improvement program will modernize and expand four police stations and six fire stations, and more police officers will be hired.  The city also plans to rebuild a community center at McAdams Park, complete the city’s long-range plan for swimming pools, and provide enhancements to South Lakes Park.

Council member Bryan Frye said he is pleased to have the McAdams Park project in the budget, and he said he is looking forward to the development of a master plan for the city’s recreation centers.   City manager Robert Layton said that plan will be developed and presented to the council at a later time.

The budget calls for the city to have private management for the Century II Convention Center, to improve operations and customer service.   Layton said a contract proposal will be presented to the Council in September.   The city will also be outsourcing management of the public golf courses.

The city will be looking to combine Cultural Arts with the Park and Recreation Department during the next year.

The budget will put an emphasis on street maintenance efforts, and the capital improvement program through 2031 will have $163 million for a variety of projects.  The annual funding will rise from $11 million in 2022 to $20 million by 2031.

The city will also be filling vacant positions and restoring services that were cut during the pandemic.  The city is getting over $72 million from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan for pandemic recovery efforts.